Christina Perri Tells The Story Behind Her New Song ‘Something About December’

Ever since Christna Perri was a little kid, she’s been writing Christmas songs. But it wasn’t until now that she was brave enough to let anyone else hear them.

The singer told CBS Local that she’s “madly in love” with holiday music, so it was a no-brainer for her to record her own holiday EP.

“It’s such a big part of my upbringing and my singing in general,” she said. “The very first song I sang when I was three was a Christmas song.”

Christina admitted that as a kid, her and her brother, Nick, would perform some of the holiday classics like “Jingle Bells” for her family, complete with matching sweaters. “And velvet dresses, I remember those too,” she said.

Her 6-song EP, A Very Merry Perri Christmas, features a few of her favorite carols like “Merry Christmas Darling” by the Carpenters and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over),” along with her very own stab at a holiday classic, “Something About December.”

Christina says she started writing the Christmas song while on tour in Singapore, far away from home. She was finishing up an 18-hour press day, sitting alone in her hotel, missing her family when she decided to crank up some of her holiday favorites. Even though it was the middle of April, the music made her feel like she was right at home and inspired her to write her own song about keeping Christmas in your heart all year round.

But writing a holiday song definitely wasn’t something Christina took lightly.

“Christmas music is not like writing a regular song,” she admitted. “There are so many that are amazing and so many that are terrible. I feel like there’s really no shade of gray.”

When Christina finally had a break in July, she finished writing the song with a little help from her brother. The two reminisced and even broke into tears. Twice.

Some of their memories even made their way into the lyrics, like her mother’s whistling, which was one of the things Christina loves most about this special time of year.